Joseph s



J. S. WOOD. G88 Apparatus.

No. 228,848. Patented June 15,1880.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ala-and OZf/Q) ik mwfi,

N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITNDGRAPNER, WASHINGTON. D c,

UNITED STATES JOSEPH s. WOOD, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PATENT GAS APPARATUSw SPECIFICATION formingpart .of Letters Patent No. 228,848, dated June 15, 1880. Application filed December 4, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH S. WOOD, oi"

the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain Gas Apparatus, of which the following is a speci fication.

This invention relates to automatic apparatus for making gas from light hydrocarbons by means of heat; and its general .object is to simplify such apparatus and to perfect the automatic control of the operation.

The present invention consists, first, in a novel combination of parts for actuating the needle-valve of the retort, the cut-off or air valve, and the gas cock or valvein the burnersupply pipe simultaneously at will; secondly, in a novel combination of parts for actuating said valves by a connection with the gas-holder drum to automatically regulate the operation: according to the gas consumed; thirdly, in a novel combination of parts for closing all said valves instantaneously upon the fall of the gas-- holder drum below a given point; fourthly, in the general combination of parts, whereby the operation is automatically controlled, as aforesaid.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of myimproved gas apparatus, and Fig.2 a horizontal section of the same on line a: m, Fig. 1. 4

In the drawings, B represents a. gas retort or generator, of cylindrical or other shape, which is heated by a suitable burner, 0, below the same, said burner being attached "to the bottom of the retort and surrounded by a per-' forated flange, D, which is cast in one piece with the bottom of the retort, and intendedto retain the heat and protect the flame against accidental extinction by drafts. The naphtha or other light hydrocarbon is conducted through a pipe,'I, from the oil-tank to the retort B, while a gas-pipe, r, connects the burner O with a gas-holder, R, the supply of gas to the burner being regulated by a valve, f.

Cast in one piece with the retort B, or otherwise connected with the same, is a cylindrical barrel, F,which is arranged horizontally on the retort and adapted to guide the needle-valve H. The retort communicates by an opening in its top part with the cylinder F of the needle-valve H, said cylinder being provided at one end with a stufting-box for the valve-stem and at the opposite end with a tapering orifice, o, for the conical end of the needle-valve.

The vapors generated in the retort pass through the cylinder of the needle-valve and the discharge-orifice of the same into a mixingchamber, A, which is arranged in line with the needle-valve and provided with an air-port, M, and an injection-throat, L. The vapors are mixed in the chamberA with atmospheric air, so as to form illuminating-gas, which gas is forced through the injection-throat L and a connecting gas-pipe, 0, into the gas-holder It. The communicating gas-pipe O is provided with a cock, N, which serves to retain the gas in the gas-holder when it is desired to start the apparatus. The burner-supply pipe 0" is also provided with a cock, f, so that the supply of gas to the burner may be interrupted or controlled.

The gas-holder R is constructed in the customary manner, with condensing-chambers S S in the lower part and a vertically-guided drum in the upper part. The condensingchambers S S are divided by a partition, I, which, however, does not extend to the bottom of the condensing-chambers, so as to form an opening, which is sealed by the water in the condensing-chambers. Gas inlet and outlet pipes T T extend from the condensing-chambers upward in to the gas-holder and terminate above thelevel of the water in the same.

The gas passes from the inlet-opening g of the pipe 0, through one condensingchamber S and pipe T, into the gas-holder, and through the outlet-pipe T into the other condensingchamber S, then through the service-pipe U to the building. The condensed vapors are collected in the first condensingchamber and in the gas-holder, and conducted in one case through the opening between the condensingchambers and .in the other case through the shorter outlet-pipe T to the second condensing-chamber, and finally through the servicepipe U, which is arranged above the opening of the partitionl, to a suitable collecting-trap, from which the condensation is removed from time to time.

The drum of the gas-holder R is guided by vertical rods 1) in fixed exterior guide-brackets of the gas-holder. To the upper part of one of the guide-rods b is pivoted a bent sliprod, 0, which is pressed by a spring, d, against the recessed guide-bracket. A shorter releaserod, 0, of the slip-rod c is arranged with an eye, so as to be connected to a bolt, q, or other device of a lever, E, which is fulcrumed to a supporting bracket-arm, G, of the vaponcylinder F. A spring, J, tends to press the lever E in upward direction. The opposite end of the lever E, back of its fulcrum, is curved downward and connected pivotally to theouter end of the needle-valve. The front part of the lever is furthermore connected by leverrods with a cut-off device for the air-port of the mixingchamber and with a lever-arm on the cock of the burner-supply pipe. The gradual filling of the gas-holder by the gas generated in the apparatus raises the drum and thereby the regulating-lever, which latter operates simultaneously the needle-valve, the air cut-ofi', and the gas-cock of the burner-supply tube, so as to diminish more and more the generation of gas, but never interrupt it entirely. When, however, the in the gasholder is gradually consumed, the drum is lowered, the lever is moved downward, and the vapor-orifice of the valve-cylinder, the air-port of the mixing-chamber, and the cock of the burner-supply pipe are opened at the same time, so as to increase the generation of gas. The gas apparatus is thus regulated automatically by the rise and fall of the gas-holder and by the consumption of gas.

In case the heating-flame of theburner should accidentally be extinguished and the generation -of gas be interrupted, the gas-drum assumes gradually alower position until the bent portion of the slip-rod c is forced by its spring against the guide-bracket, so as to release the bolt from the arm or rod 6. The spring J will then instantly raise the lever E, so as to interrupt the generation of gas and prevent any overflow and loss of oil.

By retractin the bolt (1 the lever E may be released or moved by hand to simultaneously open or close said valves f" M II at will.

The apparatus is operated in the following manner: The oil-tank is filled with oil and compressed air, the latter forcing the oil through the connecting-pipe into the retort, where it is first heated up for starting the apparatus by an alcohol-flame. When the gasholder is filled with gas the connection of the regulating-lever with the release-rod of the drum is made, the cock of the gasconducting pipe closed, the cock of the burner-supply pipe opened, and the gas escaping at the burner lighted. keep the retort to its proper heat, and thus continue the generation of vapors. The cock of the conducting-pipe is then opened again,

The flame of the burner will then and the apparatus is ready to generate gas automatically and continuously for any number of burners, according to its capacity. Af-

ter being once properly started it requires no further attention, as all the different operations are accomplished automatically. It only requires restarting in case the heating-flame is accidentally or intentionally, for cleaning or other purposes, extinguished.

I am aware that previous to my present invention the needle-valve, air cut-off, and gas-cock of a gas apparatus in the classof injector mixers had been connected with the gas-holders so as to be operated automatically but the connections in such case were complicated and did not accomplish the direct actuation of the several valves, as in my arrangement, nor provide for readily and instantaneously actuating them by hand.

I do not here claim, broadly, the combination, with the gas-holder drum R, of the curved and pivoted slip-rod a, spring d, lever E, and the needle-valve H, as this will be claimed in another application which I intend to file.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut-- 1. The combination, with the needle-valve H, air cut-off M, and gas-cockf, of the lever E and connections, the spring J, and the bolt q, for releasing said lever at will from a controlling device.

2. The combination of the needle-valve H and cut-oft M, and gas-cock f, arrangedin substantially the same vertical plane, the lever E, connected directly to said needle-valve and by links to the lever-arm of said cut-off and cock, the gas-holder drum R and connections between said drum and lever, substantially as herein specified.

3. Thecombination, with the needle-valve H, air cut-ofl' M, and gas-cock f, of the lever E and connections, the spring J, the curved and pivoted slip-rod c, the spring d, the holder drum R, carrying said slip-rod and connections between said slip-rod and lever E, the latter being released by the movement of said slip-rod when said drum falls below a given point, substantially as herein set forth.

4. In a gas apparatus, the combination of the vertically-guided drum of the gas-holder, said drum having a pivoted and spring-acted release-rod, with a fulcrunied and spring-acted lever controlling the gas-generating apparatus, said lever having a bolt or other device for being connected to the release-rod of the drum, substantially as described.

JOSEPH S. WVOOD.

Witnesses: Y

EDWARD LEWIS, JOHN YOUNG. 

